The buffer yoke casting will be exhibited in the Investment Casting Institute’s booth at the National Design Engineering Show, held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., March 21-23, 2006, and at the Atlantic Design & Manufacturing Show, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, NY, on June 6-8, 2006.
“This component clearly exemplifies the benefits of the investment casting process, including speed of manufacture, affordability and design freedom,” said Michael C. Perry, Executive Director of the Investment Casting Institute. “We look forward to taking it on the road in 2006 to numerous industrial design shows to demonstrate the problem-solving capabilities of the investment casting process.”
Commenting on the redesigned M777 Howitzer, Marty Kane, Business Manager at the Picatinny Arsenal, who oversees the program for the Department of Defense, said, “The extensive use of advanced titanium investment castings on the M777 is a first for ground combat systems and the first system to incorporate the castings into major structures. The work that has been done in developing the specifications and manufacturing processes for titanium castings is paving the way for systems like the Future Combat System. With the successful manufacture of the M777 Lightweight Howitzer, the industry has demonstrated its ability to produce the lightweight, rugged components necessary to meet the ambitious requirements flowed down from war-fighters to design engineers.”
According to Jeffrey Boulet, Program Manager at Alcoa Howmet Castings, who handles the supply of castings for the BAE Systems M777 Lightweight Howitzer, the suite of 19 structural castings has significantly fewer parts and welds, as well as greatly reduced length of welds, when compared to the original prototype fabrications. Reduced raw material inputs, shorter manufacturing cycle times and significantly broader design freedom are also important positive outcomes of the investment casting process.
“The major improvements to the new howitzer system — 40 percent less weight, a 25 percent smaller footprint, and no loss of firepower — were the result of a pioneering new design that includes investment-cast titanium structural components to improve reliability and producibility,” said Frank Hoerster, BAE Systems’ Director of Fire Support Systems.
Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components, Alcoa also markets consumer brands including Reynolds Wrapâ foils and plastic wraps, Alcoaâ wheels, and Bacoâ household wraps. Among its other businesses are vinyl siding, closures, fastening systems, precision castings, and electrical distribution systems for cars and trucks. The company has 131,000 employees in 43 countries and has been a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average for 45 years and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes since 2001. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com
